If you’re looking for a guy who’s going to rank No. 1 at his position, Travis Kelce might be the safest choice. Five years in a row, he’s finished with the best tight end numbers.
I started playing around with the numbers since the merger (in 1970). Kelce is the only player at any position who’s been No. 1 five years in a row. Only five others have finished first at their position in four straight years. That’s all positions – QB, RB, WR, TE and kicker.
The five others who’ve gone four straight years are all notable players: Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Stephen Gostkowski, Todd Christensen and Emmitt Smith.
Including Kelce (and those 4-year guys), 17 players have finished No. 1 at their position in at least three straight seasons.
I see that the list includes five tight ends, and they all come from AFC West teams: Kelce, Christensen, Tony Gonzalez, Kellen Winslow and Shannon Sharpe. Statistically, that hardly seems possible, with their being seven other divisions combining for none.
| MOST CONSECUTIVE YEARS LEADING POSITION | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Player | Team | Years | No |
| TE | Travis Kelce | K.C. | 2016-20 | 5 |
| TE | Todd Christensen | Rdrs. | 1983-86 | 4 |
| RB | Emmitt Smith | Dall. | 1992-95 | 4 |
| WR | Jerry Rice | S.F. | 1993-96 | 4 |
| WR | Marvin Harrison | Ind. | 1999-02 | 4 |
| K | Stephen Gostkowski | N.E. | 2012-15 | 4 |
| RB | Walter Payton | Chi. | 1977-79 | 3 |
| QB | Dan Fouts | S.D. | 1980-82 | 3 |
| TE | Kellen Winslow | S.D. | 1980-82 | 3 |
| QB | Dan Marino | Mia. | 1984-86 | 3 |
| QB | Steve Young | S.F. | 1992-94 | 3 |
| QB | Brett Favre | G.B. | 1995-97 | 3 |
| TE | Shannon Sharpe | Den. | 1996-98 | 3 |
| RB | Marshall Faulk | St.L. | 1999-01 | 3 |
| TE | Tony Gonzalez | K.C. | 1999-01 | 3 |
| QB | Daunte Culpepper | Min. | 2002-04 | 3 |
| WR | Antonio Brown | Pitt. | 2014-16 | 3 |
—Ian Allan